John Malkovich Rejected Marvel Offers Because of Bad Deals: ‘If You’re Going to Hang From a Crane in Front of Green Screen for Six Months, Pay Me’

https://variety.com/2025/film/news/john-malkovich-marvel-movies-bad-pay-fantastic-four-1236311544/

32 comments

  1. >The actor revealed an interview with GQ magazine that he’s turned down a few Marvel offers in the past because the pay just wasn’t sufficient enough.

    >“The reason I didn’t do them had nothing to do with any artistic considerations whatsoever,” Malkovich said. “I didn’t like the deals they made, at all. These films are quite grueling to make… If you’re going to hang from a crane in front of a green screen for six months, pay me. You don’t want to pay me, it’s cool, but then I don’t want to do it, because I’d rather be onstage, or be directing a play, or doing something else.”

    >What Malkovich was surprised to discover was that filming “The Fantastic Four” was “not that dissimilar to doing theater” because “you imagine a bunch of stuff that isn’t there and do your little play.” He told GQ that he took a role in the movie primarily because he wanted to work with director Matt Shaman again after 2014’s “Cut Bank.”

  4. Eerily similar reasoning for why I didn’t go into teaching lol.

  5. At least he’s honest. Can’t blame him for his feelings.

  7. I mean if you are in your late 60s/early 70s and an accomplished, wealthy A-list actor already it’s easy to understand.

  9. Marvel actors are either up and comers trying to make a name for themselves or established names trying to make a paycheck. There is no in between. The idea that it’s a fun experience probably varies wildly from production to production.

  10. I can only hope that he said in the same accent he used in Rounders, while eating Oreos

  12. there should be a difference between Sony and Marvel studios/disney. wouldn’t be surprised if Sony low balled him, considering that is going to be in F4 in a few months.

  13. Marvel and hanging from cranes with green screens are actually beneath John.

  14. John has said yes to some real dog shit because he got scammed out of most of his money. I don’t really buy it. I don’t even like the Marvel movies.

  15. A reminder here that he had a pretty big role in a Transformers movie, which, along with Jurassic World, is probably about as close as you can get to a marvel movie. Although I’m now curious what he was paid for that.

  16. I like what Keaton did but John would have been a perfect comic book Vulture.

  17. He’s going to be either Galactus or Willie Lumpkin.

  18. He was so fucking good in The New Pope. Feel like that show was underrated

  19. That’s a great stand from him. He does not mess around.

  20. I don’t know what he’s talking about, unless he’s not including Columbia/Sony. He signed to play The Vulture in Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man 4”, although he wasn’t as featured as you would expect: the twist was that his daughter – The Vultress – was the main villain seen in most of the movie.

    He presumably received a nice payout when Columbia/Sony decided not to produce that abortion of a screenplay at the 11th hour.

  23. “…more than what you’re giving other professionals”

    Just wanted to finish that for him

  26. Harrison Ford said he did Red Hulk for the money. He has stronger ties with Disney so I’m sure they took care of him. I wonder if he compared his pay day.

  31. Meanwhile he tended to his garden at home at his own expense!

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